Dalton Risner – Syndication Server

Vikings activate Dalton Risner ahead of Week 9 matchup with Colts

The Minnesota Vikings made the roster decision to activate guard Dalton Risner from injured reserve.

The Minnesota Vikings made the roster decision to activate guard Dalton Risner from injured reserve. The move comes with Monday’s deadline looming before they would lose him for the season.

The team reported the move, as well as defensive tackle Taki Taimani’s corresponding placement on injured reserve for a minimum of four weeks.

For Risner, the move comes at a critical time for the interior of the Vikings offensive line. Guard Blake Brandel has shown he can be a starter for this group and reliable. Opposite him is Ed Ingram, who has been very hot and cold this year. Some have speculated that Risner could replace Ingram with the starters sooner rather than later, especially being activated before their matchup with the Colts when it could have waited for Monday.

The Vikings will hope that whether Risner plays or not on Sunday night that the offense looks the way it did the first five weeks.

Jaguars to pay $7 million of Cam Robinson’s remaining contract in trade deal

The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the hook for $7 million of Cam Robinson’s remaining contract after their trade with the Minnesota Vikings.

Earlier this week, the Minnesota Vikings addressed a glaring need on the team by filling the void left by injured left tackle Christian Darrisaw. Darrisaw was lost for the season with a torn ACL and MCL suffered at the end of the first half of last week’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Vikings’ solution to their sudden need for an offensive lineman was to reach out the the Jacksonville Jaguars and pull off a trade for their left tackle Cam Robinson. Robinson had spent the past seven and a half seasons in Jacksonville after the team took him in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Despite sticking around in Jacksonville for over seven years, it hasn’t been a smooth ride for the tackle, and he’s looking to get a fresh start with the Vikings. In order to facilitate that new start, it was revealed on Wednesday that the Jaguars will be paying $7 million of the nearly $10 million remaining on Robinson’s contract, according to ESPN NFL analyst Field Yates.

That means the Vikings will only be on the hook for a base salary of $2 million and a bonus of nearly $59,000 for each game Robinson is active for the Vikings for the remainder of the season. While Robinson may not be active on Sunday as he gets acclimated to his new team and the new system, he’ll likely be active for the remainder of the season—as long as he stays healthy and produces.

The Vikings have other options along the offensive line, and head coach Kevin O’Connell has hammered home the idea of putting together the “five best offensive linemen”, so if Robinson doesn’t pan out, it wouldn’t be a shock to see O’Connell shake things up. Current left guard Blake Brandel has experience at tackle, and guard Dalton Risner is expected back, which could lead to Brandel shifting outside if Robinson can’t go or struggles.

Regardless of how well the trade winds up working out for Robinson and the Vikings, only giving up a Day 3 pick in 2026 and getting the Jaguars to pay the majority of Robinson’s remaining salary is worth taking a chance in light of Darrisaw’s injury.

Two injured Vikings log full practice on Wednesday report

Expect to see the big tight end against the Colts on Sunday.

The Vikings released their injury report on Wednesday and while linebacker Blake Cashman did not practice — he was the only one not to practice — Minnesota saw both tight end T.J. Hockenson and guard Dalton Risner log full practices.

On Wednesday, Kevin O’Connell said Hockenson will be a full go on Sunday night and won’t have a snap count.

“I think T.J.’s ready to play,” O’Connell said. “He’s as good as he’s really looked since we’ve gotten him here, and that’s saying something considering the impact he made right away in ’22 and then the season he was having last year at the time when he got hurt. I know he’s excited. Everybody’s excited to have him back out there. Huge part of our system and offense and organization.”

O’Connell also commented on Risner. He is also ready to roll, but will he play against the Colts? O’Connell didn’t confirm, but he does anticipate seeing Risner suited up sooner rather than later.

“Dalton’s healthy, he’s ready to roll,” O’Connell said. “Dalton’s very much a part of the conversation. I anticipate trying to get him up to speed and ready to roll. I think we’re gonna see Dalton in a uniform sooner rather than later.”

NFL analyst says the Vikings bringing in a free agent OT “makes sense”

Should the Minnesota Vikings bring in a free agent to replace Christian Darrisaw? Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer thinks it “makes sense”.

On Thursday night, things quickly went from bad to worse for the Minnesota Vikings against the Los Angeles Rams. It wasn’t enough that the Vikings defense got bullied for the second straight week, and the team lost their second game in a row after winning their first five.

The football gods had to add injury to insult—quite literally—as the Vikings lost their starting left tackle, Christian Darrisaw, for the season with a torn ACL and MCL. Darrisaw was playing at a Pro Bowl level this season and was a big reason why the Vikings offense—and the team in general—got off to such a hot start.

The injury has left many wondering what the Vikings plan on doing at the position in the wake of Darrisaw’s absence, and they have plenty of options. Swing tackle David Quessenberry came into the game on Thursday after Darrisaw’s injury, and has plenty of experience at tackle in the NFL. However, there was a clear difference in the level of play of the offense post-Darrisaw injury with Quessenberry in.

If the Vikings don’t trust Quessenberry full-time at the position, they also have Blake Brandel as an option. Brandel is currently playing left guard for the team, but also has experience at tackle. With Dalton Risner expected to return, head coach Kevin O’Connell could opt to swing Brandel outside and put Risner at tackle.

The third option — and one that Sports Illustrated’s NFL analyst Albert Breer says “makes sense” in his Week 8 Takeaways column for the outlet — is signing a tackle off free agency. Breer suggests the likes of D.J. Humphries, David Bakhtiari, and Charles Leno as options.

All three players have extensive experience at the position and would make for a solid rental option to finish out the season. As Breer points out in the column, Darrisaw is still just 25 years old, and there’s no reason to think he won’t make a full recovery from this injury, so there’s no need for the Vikings to go out and make a drastic move at the position for someone who would be a long-term solution. However, Breer believes bringing someone in for the short term could be the right move for Minnesota.

Vikings release final injury report ahead of Rams’ game

Only one Viking was ruled OUT against the Rams with several other players being in limbo for the Week 8 matchup.

The Minnesota Vikings will be playing on Thursday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota appears to be mostly healthy ahead of the showdown.

Minnesota released its final injury report on Thursday, and the only Viking ruled out for the contest was linebacker Blake Cashman, which was expected. Tight end T.J. Hockenson, guard Dalton Risner and cornerback Akayleb Evans are all considered questionable for the game.

There was hope Hockenson would play on Thursday, and while it still could happen, the expectation is that Hockenson will play the following week against the Colts. Since his practice window opened, Hockenson has yet to practice in full with the Vikings, which would put his playing status in doubt against the Rams.

On the other hand, the Rams will likely have star receiver Cooper Kupp back in the lineup. Kupp came off the injury report, which should mean he will be a go against the Vikings’ secondary.

Are the Vikings thinking about making a switch on the offensive line?

Once he returns, it sounds like the Vikings might make a switch at right guard in favor of Dalton Risner.

It was another tough out for Minnesota right guard Ed Ingram against the Lions on Sunday. He remains one of the worst-graded guards in all of football, per PFF.

With veteran guard Dalton Risner ready to return any game, is Minnesota thinking about making a switch from Ingram? According to Ben Goessling, it’s a real possibility that Risner could become the next starting right guard.

“Ed Ingram had another tough day today. Maybe… we’ll see what happens,” Goessling said. Everybody keeps saying, ‘Why are you guys talking so much about Dalton Risner possibly being the starter’? That’s what we keep hearing, is that is something [replacing Ingram with Risner] they are considering very seriously. So, again… I said it to somebody on Twitter this week. We generally, our approach at the Star Tribune, is not to just spout opinions, especially on this show. I think, when we say stuff, it’s generally something we’re hearing, and that we’re fairly confident they’re at least thinking about doing.”

Ingram has been known as the better run-blocking guard between him and Risner, but even that has been poor lately. Since becoming the starter, Ingram has been overly suspect in pass protection, and that hasn’t gotten better. It would appear Risner is a viable option at this point.

Kevin O’Connell provides injury updates on T.J. Hockenson and others

Here is the latest status on T.J. Hockenson and others ahead of Thursday Night Football.

It will be a short week for the Vikings. After taking their first loss of the season against the Detroit Lions, they will play on Thursday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams.

Both star tight end T.J. Hockenson and veteran guard Dalton Risner have been practicing with the team since Minnesota opened up their practice windows. Kevin O’Connell wasn’t ready to commit to either of them playing against the Rams, but it sounds like it could be possible.

“Yeah, it’s early. We’ll make that determination these next couple days,” O’Connell said Monday. “Very much a possibility.”

Hockenson would be a big boost to Minnesota’s passing game to go along with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Risner, however, could fill a void at right guard. Ed Ingram has played poorly most of the season and Risner could slot in there.

In other news, Minnesota was without starting linebacker Blake Cashman against the Lions. Like the other two, O’Connell didn’t say if Cashman would be ready to go for Thursday, but he should be a go for the Colts in two weeks for sure.

“He’s progressing,” O’Connell said. “Coming along from that toe in a way where I don’t know if he’ll be available or not yet, as far as the estimations on his workload via the fact that we’re taking the tempo down on practices and the workload as we prep for Thursday. If we can have him, great. If not, I do feel very positive about the Colts game for sure. I’m not in a place yet to rule him out quite yet.”

Vikings open the practice window for an offensive lineman to return

The Vikings might be getting some help on their offensive line with the veteran returning to practice.

The Vikings announced on Monday afternoon that it opened Dalton Risner’s practice window. The announcement was made before the team hit the practice fields Monday afternoon which means there will be a 21-day window to evaluate Risner.

The veteran first joined Minnesota during the 2023 season and started 11 of 15 games played. Risner re-signed with the Vikings this spring but suffered a back injury during training camp. He was placed on Injured Reserve which meant he had to miss at least the first four games of the season.

Minnesota is off to a 5-0 start, and the Vikings’ offense is rolling. But right guard Ed Ingram hasn’t been at his best. Ingram has allowed the second-most pressures of any guard in the NFL, with 17 allowed. He’s also tied for second in the league of any guard with three sacks allowed.

The Vikings could consider inserting Risner into the lineup when he’s game-ready to help with pass protection.

Vikings OL Dalton Risner placed on IR, eligble for to return

On Monday the Vikings placed veteran offensive lineman Dalton Risner on injured reserve as the team makes roster moves leading to 53.

The Minnesota Vikings have been busy with roster moves, working on reducing the roster to 53 from 90 before Friday’s deadline. They made another move on Monday afternoon, placing veteran offensive lineman Dalton Risner on injured reserve.

The move frees up a roster spot for others to make the Vikings’ final 53-man roster. Risner will be eligible to return after four weeks because the team designated his placement that way.

Risner was signed by the Vikings late in the offseason on a one-year deal. He was expected to compete with guards Blake Brandel and Ed Ingram for one of the starting spots along the Vikings offensive line. Risner was never able to get on the field this preseason, which makes things uncertain about how they will be when he returns.

One could assume it will depend on the consistency of the play from Brandel and Ingram. He could earn one of their starting spots if they underperform, but if they are playing well, things get murkier.

Time will tell, for now, no Dalton Risner for the first four weeks of the season at the very least.

Lewis Cine and Dalton Risner identified as trade candidates as roster cuts loom

One of the more handy ways to get someone you like, without competing with 31 other teams now waivers, is through trade.

With roster cuts looming, players are going to be moving all around the NFL through every transactional means possible. One of the more handy ways to get someone you like, without competing with 31 other teams now waivers, is through trade.

Two players who have emerged as potential trade candidates are Lewis Cine and Dalton Risner.

Lewis Cine is a former first-round pick for the Minnesota Vikings but has struggled to find consistency on the field or maintain his health. Ben Goessling of The Star Tribune recognizes that a trade is possible, but his health may make it tough to complete. Compared to a roster cut, a trade would save the team $1.75 million in salary cap, so there is an incentive for flexibility.

On the other hand, Dalton Risner has more trade value. He is worthy of starting for an NFL team this Fall, just not the Vikings. The team also rewarded Blake Brandel with a contract this offseason, which almost cemented him into the starting role. Andrew Krammer of The Star Tribune suggests the team may eat $1.1 million against the salary cap and release Risner.

He has been healthy in his NFL career, though, so a trade may be salvageable. Either way, it appears Lewis Cine and Dalton Risner have both played their last games for the Minnesota Vikings.